Just Say the Word
by Caddy Link
Summary: After a spat leaves the partnership in shambles, it will take all of Booth's charm and imagination to win back the woman he so fondly calls Bones.
1. Chapter 1

**Just Say the Word**

Chapter One

Angela didn't have to be in Brennan's office to know that something was horribly wrong. She was trying desperately to concentrate on the skull in front of her and give it a face, but she was wrenched from her work by raised voices. It was mostly Brennan yelling, with Booth cutting in with harsh statements every now and then.

The noise stopped a few minutes later and Angela rested her pencil on the desk. The drawing was only half done, but she had some investigating to do. She got up and left her office, making way to Brennan's. She made it halfway and ran into Hodgins, who was staring at the anthropologist's door and drinking a steaming cup of coffee.

He held out his arm when she tried to walk past. "They're not done yet," he said, a trace of a smile on his lips.

"You're kidding?" she said incredulously. They've been going at it for at least half an hour. What'd he do to piss her off?"

"I think they are equally pissed. Apparently he compromised some evidence and she compromised the investigation and almost got herself killed. She thinks he's overreacting and being too protective, and he wants to tie her to her desk and make her stay there."

"They need a distraction," Angela said determinedly and waltzed past him to the door. She had her hand posed to knock when Booth spoke inside.

"Look," he said with a sort of finality that made Angela take a step back, "we're never going to agree on this."

"That's obvious," Brennan replied and scoffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued glaring at her partner.

"You need to start thinking about your own neck when you're out in the field."

"My job is to help other people, not myself." Her arms moved and she rested her hands on her hips.

"That's true, but if you can't think a little bit about your own safety, maybe you shouldn't be going in the field anymore."

"Well, I think—," she stopped short. Clearly this wasn't what she had expected him to say. Her eyes squinted in slight confusion. "You don't want to be partners anymore?"

"Of course I still want to be your partner," he said softly and Angela, still outside, was glad they were no longer shouting, "but I don't want you to get killed. We've had this discussion so many times, Bones, but it's never been this big of a deal. I was distracted out there watching you, and I don't think you were completely clear-headed either. We've got too much going on in our heads for us to work together outside of the lab."

Angela knew this was the wrong thing to say. Brennan was likely to put her wall up, Booth would try to negotiate some type of "middle-ground," and Brennan would lash out, claiming they either worked completely together or not at all. She turned around and went back to her own office as Brennan suggested Booth leave.

"I'm not saying we never work together," he tried, "I'd still bring in cases; you'd just stay in the lab and let me do all of the interrogating and stuff."

"I don't think so," Brennan replied and pulled the door open, signaling his departure once more. "I told you in the beginning how this partnership was going to work. If you can back out of it, so can I. You're welcome to come to the lab, I can't stop you, but Zach can be your forensic anthropologist. He's certified now."

Booth now sounded thoroughly defeated. "I know that, Bones."

"Don't call me Bones!" she snapped for the first time in months.

He was all professionalism, hurt by her remark. "Dr. Brennan, I'm going to go now, but I just want you to remember that the way this is ending isn't my fault. I'm trying to make it better, but you're too stubborn to see that. I suppose I'll see you around."

He left then, not bothering to say anything to the others on his way out. Hodgins had long since finished his coffee and was trying to busy himself as Brennan exited her office.

She walked straight over to Zach, who looked as though he had been dreading this moment entirely. "Zach, you are now the forensic anthropologist that will be helping the FBI. You've helped me on enough cases that I don't think this will be a problem. I'm available if you have any questions." She turned and left, not actually leaving time for him to ask questions.

Hodgins took her place next to him, chuckling slightly. "Man, I do _not _envy you."

Zach scrunched up his face. "Why not?"

"Don't you get it, Zach-o? You are now the middle man in this fight between Booth and Dr. Brennan. And until they somehow manage to get their act together, they are both going to depend on you for information." He patted the younger man on the back.

"But I don't know anything about that kind of stuff. Cranial fractures, yeah, ask me anything. How Dr. Brennan feels about Agent Booth or vice versa, no way, I've got nothing."

Hodgins laughed again. "Nope, I do not envy you at all." He headed back to his workstation and picked up the latest sample he needed to run.

The next couple of weeks were definitely going to be interesting.

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**As far as I know, this is just going to be a two-parter, but that all depends on if the characters cooperate. Please let me know what you thought and stay tuned for more!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews! I enjoyed every single one of them. Sorry it's been so long, my muse went on vacation with me. Read and enjoy!**

**Just Say the Word**

****Chapter Two

"As you can see, there are several cranial fractures indicative of blunt force trauma," Zach said and pointed at the cracks on the skull. He expected some sort of response and, when it didn't come, he looked up at the man standing next to him. "Agent Booth?" he inquired. "Is something bothering you?"

The man in question shifted his stance. His dark blue suit looked wrinkled, something that was troubling in itself. His eyes were slightly closed and he was peering around the lab. "She's here, isn't she?" he asked, ignoring Zach's questions.

"Who's here?" The young man wondered aloud. He wanted nothing more than to return to discussing the skeleton that was laid out on the table before him.

"Bones, or, Dr. Brennan, I mean." Booth crossed his arms over his chest and glanced around some more.

"Yes, this is her place of business. I assume she's in her office. Now, about this skeleton. I told you already..." he trailed off when he noticed the FBI agent walking away from him. Zach pulled the gloves off his hands and followed the man.

Booth was halfway to her office when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whirled around, tempted to throttle whoever had stopped his pace. He saw the face of Zach Addy and let out a very forced smile. "What can I do for you, Zach?"

The anthropologist thought about mentioning the skeleton that was waiting for them back on the platform, but decided against it. Instead, he went for a potentially more dangerous route. "She's not going to let you in."

The smile faded quickly from Booth's face, causing Zach to wonder if it had really been there at all. "Why not? There's certainly no reason we can't be _civil_ to each other," he said. He turned his back on the younger man and strolled off. Once he reached the door, he let his knuckles hit it three times before attempting to turn the metal handle.

It would not budge. Every one of his instincts told him to ram the door until it broke free of its hinges. He realized, however, that doing so would undoubtedly anger the person behind it. He knocked one more time and said, "Bo--, uh, Dr. Brennan, I would like a word with you."

Shuffling sounded from inside and footsteps approached the door. The lock clicked and the wood was pulled open. Dr. Brennan stood in heels with one hand on her hip, the other clutching the door, ready to slam it in the visitor's face. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

"I just want to talk," Booth responded rather softer than he had originally planned.

"About what? I am very busy, Agent Booth. There are hundreds of unidentified victims waiting to be given a proper burial." A few strands of hair moved from behind her ear, but she made no motion to brush them out of her eyes.

"I was just wondering...how you were." Even he was disappointed by his lack of imagination. Still, he hoped the simple question would be enough to get her to open up.

"Unless you have any questions about a case, I've got to be getting back to work. They don't pay me to tell you about my feelings. Next time you need something that trivial, just call and we'll set up an appointment." She let out a fake smile before closing the door.

"Well, that went well," he said before heading back to the platform.

Angela had watched the exchange with intense curiosity. She watched Booth's retreating back and her brow furrowed deeply. She had been crossing her fingers that this relationship (for lack of a better word, she thought) would get off the ground for far too long to accept the implosion. She stuck her pencil behind her ear and went to the platform herself.

"If it isn't two of my favorite people," she said cheerily. Booth turned and Zach looked up.

"I'm still working with the skeleton," Zach stated.

"Relax, Zach, I'm not here to talk to you. Booth, I was wondering if we could have a little chat." She batted her eyelashes and stepped off to the side.

Her expression became serious as soon as Booth had come less than a foot away. She looked down at his wrinkled suit and frowned. "So," she started, cutting right to the chase, "you're having a little problem with Brennan?"

"You could say that," he responded and crossed his arms.

"What are you going to do about it?" She arched a brow in anticipation of his answer.

"Well, I, um. I'm not really sure. Bones is so frustrating, you know? Once she's set on something, her mind never changes. I've just got to find a way to stop her from being so insane."

"Well you're in luck, Booth. I happen to be very good at getting her to open up. I'm at your disposal." She grinned and relaxed her stance.

"Actually, Angela, I was thinking about doing this on my own. No offense, but when more people get involved, things tend to get messy."

"Oh, sure, it's no problem at all." She strolled away, still smiling. Booth was not convinced that she was going to drop it. Angela was like Brennan in that small way. Whenever she decided to do something, she never stopped until it was completed.

Booth walked back over to Zach, who was looking a bit annoyed.

"Are you ready to return to the case now?" the young man asked and pointed to the body.

"Yeah, but first, I have a job for you." Booth grinned and patted Zach on the shoulder.

Zach smiled sheepishly, silently hoping the 'job' was something as simple as calling Booth with any new case details. He was extremely disappointed by Booth's next statement.

"I want you to keep tabs on Bones. You know, just keep track of what she's doing. That way, when I come around you can fill me in. It'll be fun." Booth rubbed his hands together.

"Somehow I doubt that," the squint replied.

"Look at it this way, Zach," said the special agent, "The more I know about Bones's activities, the sooner I can get her to come back over to my side, and the sooner you can go back to being someone who rarely talks to me. It's a win-win situation." He clapped the man on the back one more time and bent down to look at the skeleton. "Okay, so, how'd he die?"

Angela hadn't gone back to her office; she'd gone straight for Brennan's. Now she was sitting on her friend's couch, flipping through an anthropology magazine. "This makes our jobs look very Hollywood."

"Oh, that? I don't read it; I use it as a coaster." Brennan finished writing out a report on her latest identified skeleton. She capped the pen and stood up.

"Are you going somewhere?" the artist asked.

"I've got to get home. My bathroom sink is clogged and I'm going to work on it." Brennan grabbed her purse and jacket.

"You're really going to walk away from this fight with Booth?"

"There was no fight, Angela. We just disagreed. Now we've come to a business agreement that is working great for both of us. If you'll excuse me, I have a sink to attend to." She walked out the door without looking back.

Angela stood and shook her head. "This is going to be harder than I thought."

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**So, what did you think? If you read, please let me know your thoughts. I appreciate all of them! More to come.**


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